Improvement in border-tiles



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. BROWN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN BORDER-TILES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 205,832, dated .lilly9, 1378; application filed June 9, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN S. BROWN, ofIVashington, in the county of Washington and District of Columbia, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Border-Tiles; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full and exact description thereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification.

The purpose of my invention is to produce an improved tile for edgingwalks, carriageways, parterres, garden-beds, and for other similar oranalogous uses; and my invention consists in the following features ofimprovement: First, a vertical coupling-joint at the ends of adjacenttiles, to prevent the passage of growing roots between them, and toprevent lateral displacement, and bind the tiles together in line 5second, coupling-joints at the two ends of each tile, formed alike, sothat any one joint ts any other; third, the formation of thecoupling-joints With two or more angles or turns, in order to render thesame impenetrable to the roots of trees, grass, or plants; fourth,border-tiles having upon their upper surfaces or tops bosses or forms inrelief, at regular intervals, and so arranged thatwhen two or more tilesare coupled together these projections are continuously regular inposition; fifth, border-tiles having angular or scalloped indentationsin their upper edges, at regular intervals from end to end; sixth,bordertiles curved longitudinally to different and stated diameters, forforming various curved or circular, in addition to straight, borders;seventh,bordertile pilasters for terminations of tile-borders forcorners of the same, and for insertion at intermediate places intileborders to break the continuity and sameness thereof.

In Vthe accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a side view of one ofmy improved border-tiles; Fig. 2, a top view of the same; Fig. 3, a sideview of a tilepilaster to go with the border-tiles; Fig. 4, a top viewof a terminal tile-pilaster; Fig. 5, a top view of an intermediatetile-pilaster; Fig. 6, a top view of a corner tile-pilaster; Fig. 7, atop View of a border-tile aliquot, to go with the bordertiles; Fig. 8, aview showing a combination of border tiles and pilasters arranged instraight lilies; Fig. 9, a view showing a combination of curvedborder-tiles laid in aeircle.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

These tiles are to be made of convenient dimensions and proportions,about as represented in the drawings, or otherwise, and of suitablematerial or materials, burned clay being very suitable for general use.

The tiles are to be set edgewise in the ground or bed, and the verticalcoupling at the ends preferably extends the whole width ofthe body ofthe tiles, not only to keep the tiles surely in proper relativepositions, but to close the joints against the passage of roots betweenthem, this being an important purpose to be accomplished. lt is obvious,however, that if the coupling should not extend through quite the wholewidth of the tile-body, yet, practically, the eeet would be produced,even if not quite so perfectly as when the entire width is occupiedthereby. For the greatest convenience, also, the couplings at both endsof the tiles are alike 5 and, in order that any coupling shall it anyother, each joint has a projecting part, c, and an indented or sunkpart, b, one being of the same form of outline as the other, or properlyfitting it, so that, in coupling, a projection shall always accuratelyenter an indentation in the adjacent tile on both the contiguous ends.For this purpose, also, a projecjection, a, should be just as far fromthe adjacent edge of the tile as is a depression, b, from its adjacenttile edge. The projections and depressions might be duplicated onthetile ends; but practically one projection and one depression will befound to serve the purposes of the coupling.

The projections and depressions may be either curved or angular. Anearly semi-cy lindrieal form, as shown in the drawings, is preferred.

Plane-faced shoulders c c, at right angles t0 the sides of the tiles,properly intervene between both the projections and depressions andtheir adjacent tile-corners.

These couplings, also, by the number of angles and turns they presentlaterally, eectually prevent the passage of tree, plant, or grass rootsbetween the adjacent tiles, even if the joints are not perfectly close;and, since the tiles are to be made wide or deep enough to prevent tillering roots from growing beneath them, walks, drives, parterres, andgardenbeds bordered with them are perfectly preserved against theemroachments ot' adjacent vegetation.

It is not necessary that the couplings should secure the tiles againstvertical displacement, since the breadth of the closely-set tilesprevents any considerable displacement by the dropping otl one end of atile, even it' the under support is not uniform. Besides, there isconsiderable advantage in not having any vertical retention of any ofthetiles, in order that any one may be removed aml replaced at will, forany purpose, without disturbing others.

For ornamentation I principally rely on two methods, singly, orgenerally together:

1 `irst,by ornamental projections or reliefs l d uponthe upper ed geofeach tile, arranged in regula-r order or succession and at regular oruniform distances apart, the spaces being so proportioned that whennumbers of the tiles are placed together the joint-spaces shall beuniform or regular with the others. The forms of the reliefs may bevaried to produce different styles ol ornament, according to regular andvarious designs; and difi'crent styles may alternate or be combined tocompose a compound ornamentation. This ornamental part 1 term the headofthe tile.

Second. I ornament the shoulders or upper edges of the tile, next to thesides thereof, with indentations ff, forming regular figuresordivisions, which will be continuous and uniform when the tiles arejoined together.

In addition to the purpose of ornamentation, these indentations serve apurpose of' utility, in that a half-indentation being always at the endof each upper edge, sharp corners are. thereby obviated, so that thereis much less lia-bilityv to clip oli' those corners and disiigure thetiles.

The aliquot parts of the tiles, as shown in Fig. 7, are intended to beused in filling out short spaces less than the length ot' a full-sizedtile. Each one is intended to form an individual part or division of thetile design with which it is used, so that the design shall not beviolated or interrupted by its use. These parts, for shortness ofexpression, may be denominated qnots Their couplings a b are the same asthose of the tiles, and tit therein, the couplings bein gat oppositesides, as shown, to be used intermediately or successively, and othersmay have the coupling-joint only at one side, to be used as terminals.

The pilasters, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6, are preferably somewhatthicker than the main tiles, to project a little laterally beyond them.They also extend somewhat above the tiles, as indicated in the drawings,to give them prominence and break the sameness of continuous tiling whenmuch extended, as for borders of walks and drives. They are generallymade square, but may have any other Y form suitable for their purpose,particularly for forming corners with acute or obtuse angles. They areprovided with couplings a b, the same as those of the tiles, and to titthe same. These extend vertically only as high as the bodies ot' thetiles, the part of the pilaster proiecting above the tiles being freetherefrom. For terminal pilasters there is a coupling-joint only at oneside, as shown in Fig. 4. For intermediate pilasters there arecouplingjoints on two opposite sides, as sllown in Fig. 5. For cornerpilasters there are two couplingjoints, respectively, on two adjacentsides, as shown in Fig. 6. The relief ornamentation d on the head ofeach pilaster and the indented ornamentation fon the shoulders of thepilasters are intended to be the same or in harmony with thecorresponding ornamentation on the tiles of similar design. The shoulderornamentation preferably extends along all the upper edges of thepilaster, as shown. The modes of using these pilasters in combinationwith theV tiles are indicated in Fig. 8, wherein C C represent terminalpilasters; l) l), intermediate pilasters, and E E corner pilasters.Vthen intermediate pilasters are used for ornamentation they may beplaced alternately with the main tiles or at intervals, with any greaternumber of main tiles intervening, according to taste.

Thecurved tiles G G, as shown in Fig. 9, representing a curve oteighteen inches in diameter through the longitudinal centers ofthetiles, are to be of several diierent curvatures, less than about fortyfeet in diameter, to suit various requirements. Curves of forty feet ormore in diameter may be laid with the straight tiles; and if curves of'diameters between eight and forty feet are not all fitted with curvedtiles exactly corresponding therewith, they may be laid with the quots,Fig. 7 but with curves less than eight feet in diameter curved tilescorresponding in curvature should be used to make good work. Theornamentation of the curved tiles is intended to correspond with that ofthe straight tiles of the same design or font, and to be of the same, ornearly equal, length; and, whatever the different diameters of thecurvature, the length of each tile is such that an exact number of wholetiles will just complete the circle of which its curvature is an arc.They are provided with similar couplings a b at their ends to fit thestraight tiles and the pilasters, the lines of the joints being radialto the circle of which they form an are. They are employed not only inbordering circles, but in forming curves of any kind, simple orcompound, those of different curvature being capable of combinationtogether as well as with straight tiles.

All the tiles and pilasters may be made in various colors, uniform orvaried. Especially I contemplate decorating the ornamental heads of thetiles with various colors, particularly for use in bordering parterresand for winter gardening. They may be glazed or not, as preferred, oraccording to their uses.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. Border-tiles having coupling-joints vertically extended along theirends, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. Border-tiles having coupling-joints of the same form at their twoends, substantially as and for the purpose herein specied.

' 3. Border-tiles having Vertical couplingjoints at their ends formedwith two or more angles or turns in a horizontal direction,substantially as and for the purpose herein specilied.

4. Border-tiles havin g upon their upper surfaces or tops bosses orforms in relief at regular intervals, and so arranged that when two ormore tiles are coupled. together these projections are continuouslyrregular in position, substantially as and for the purpose hereinspecified.

joints for forming terminals and corners to or intermediate reliefs ontile-borders, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

.TGII S. BROWN.

Vitnesses:

JOHN T. ARMs, GEO. I. HiLL.

